The Little Moments
by Withoutatracelover996
Summary: We've all seen Beckett and Castle in the precinct, but what makes their relationship so special is all of those little moments outside of work. Collection of one-shots depicting the life of Beckett and Castle. *Chapter 15: Castle's Photo Album. "You killed the turtle?" Kate asked. Castle became defensive, "I was only nine! I didn't know they needed like, special turtle food."*
1. The Guitar Lesson

1. The Guitar Lesson

"Put my fingers here?" Castle asked, his hand bent in an awkward position as he tried to hold down all of the necessary strings to play the chord.

"Almost..." Kate said, grabbing hold of his index finger and stretching it out until it reached the next string over.

Castle grimaced, "This is extremely uncomfortable."

"I told you it wasn't easy, Castle," Kate smiled.

"I wasn't expecting it to be easy," Castle scoffed. "I just didn't think guitar lessons would be so painful."

"Are you giving up?" Kate asked as he let go of the strings he had been dutifully holding down.

"No," Castle said as he flexed his hand, "I'm just taking a break."

"Ok," Kate said, her eyebrow raised to accompany the amused smirk on her lips.

Castle cracked his knuckles, and grabbed the neck of the guitar once again, "Ready," he chirped.

"Ok, our next chord is an E-minor 7," Kate instructed. "Here, copy my fingers," she modelled her position for him to mimic.

"E-minor 7 sounds like a code word for some kinky sex position," Castle noted as he pulled his fingers into the right spot.

"Everything sounds bedroom related to you, Castle," Kate remarked sarcastically.

Castle strummed the chord, making Kate wince as the notes bent out of tune.

"It's ok," she said, "You're really close, you just need to put your middle finger here," she bent in towards him and adjusted his hand position, "And your pinkie here."

Castle leaned in and whispered, "Where does my pinkie go?"

Kate looked up at him, his features softened in the candlelit apartment. "Focus, Castle. You have five more minutes to get through. Then we can talk more about that," she said, her tone becoming increasingly seductive.

Castle shivered in anticipation, "Ok. Let me try again." This time he strummed the guitar, a perfect E-minor 7 chord.

"Wow," Kate said, a bit taken aback. "That was really good."

"Was it?" Castle murmured, leaning towards her.

"Mmhmm," Kate came towards him until their lips were almost touching. "Two more and you'll get a 'good-job' kiss," she pulled away.

"Tsk, tsk, Detective Beckett," Castle tutted, "Such a tease."

"I taught guitar to kids when I was a teenager; and out of all the complaining, bratty, spoiled nine-year-olds I dealt with, you win the prize for most difficult student," Kate said. "You know why?"

"I'm easily distracted?" Castle guessed, making eyes at Kate.

"You're lying," Kate said bluntly.

Castle sputtered, "Why Detective Beckett, I would never do such a thing!"

"Come on, Castle," Kate scoffed. "It's obvious you've been playing guitar for years."

"Damn it!" Castle slapped his knee good-naturedly. "What gave it away?"

"Only experienced guitar players have these blisters on their fingers," Kate said, pulling Castle's hand towards her and running her fingertips on the raised bumps dotting the top of his palm.

"Ok, you got me," Castle confessed, loving the feeling of Kate's fingers trickling over his. "I happen to be quite well-acquainted with this particular instrument," he said, dropping the I-don't-know-how-to-play-guitar hand position and adopting his own. He proceeded to strum at the guitar strings, playing a complicated, upbeat string of notes that he finished with a flourish of scales.

"Show-off," Kate smiled. "What was the purpose of the requested guitar lesson, then? Considering you're the real expert, of course."

Castle slid the guitar onto the ground and pulled Beckett into his grasp, "Isn't it obvious?" he kissed her.

"You know," Kate said between kisses, "You don't have to make up reasons to come over here," she moaned as he kissed her neck. "My door's always open."

"That was a very slutty thing for you to say," Castle breathed, continuing to kiss down her neck.

"Come on, Castle," she pulled him towards the bedroom. "Don't trip over the guitar."

Castle broke off his kissing session to ask, "Can I say something really corny right now?"

"That's never stopped you before," Kate smiled.

"Kate Beckett, let's make music together," Rick said.

"God, Castle. That was the worst line -" she was cut off by Castle pressing his lips on hers once more, and the pair made their way into the bedroom for the evening.

* * *

**A/N: A short idea of what this non-linear fic will be like. Like it? Hate it? What could be better? Feel free to leave a review, or just continue reading :)**

**Chapter 2 preview: Kate's wisdom teeth extraction!**


	2. Kate's Wisdom Teeth

_A/N: Thank you for the incredible response to this story! I was blown away. In this next one-shot, Kate might seem a little OOC, but that's what dentistry drugs will do to you. So bear with her, she's not feeling so hot!_

* * *

2. Kate's Wisdom Teeth

"Castle, I don't want you to see me when I'm finished. Not until I say you can come in, ok? Are we clear on that?" Beckett asked, making sure she had Rick's attention.

"But I brought my camera," Castle whined.

"You what?" Kate asked, "Give me that!" she snatched the handheld camera that Castle had just pulled out of his pocket.

"Hey!" Castle protested. "Why'd you ask me to come then?"

Kate snorted, "Who else was I going to get to come with me? Esposito?"

"You could have asked Lanie," Castle said.

"She's working a case today and besides, Castle, you don't work," Kate said, undoing her seatbelt.

"Excuse me, but I work all the time," Castle said indignantly.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Come on, Castle. I'm going to be late."

Castle clambered out of the car and jogged to catch up with Kate, who was already several paces ahead. "Hey, slow down. What's the rush?"

"I just want to get this over with," Kate said, continuing her ridiculous pace.

"Kate," he grabbed her shoulder. "What's the matter?"

Kate stopped and sighed, looking at him anxiously. "It's nothing, really. It's just... I've always had this fear of getting my wisdom teeth pulled and looking like an idiot afterwards. When I was 23 I was told I would have to get them taken out, but I said no. I didn't feel comfortable enough with anyone to give me a ride home afterwards. Now, the teeth are starting to become a problem, and I have you to chauffeur me around," she said, trying to lighten the mood before becoming serious again. "But to be honest, Castle, I'm a little bit scared. Ok?" she confessed, not meeting his eye.

"You don't have anything to be ashamed of, Kate," Castle said gently, taking her hand. "I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable, ok? I can wait outside as long as you need me to."

Kate looked up, "Thank you."

Castle smiled, "Let's get you inside. You're late."

* * *

Almost immediately after entering the dentistry office and taking a seat, the dentist appeared from the back.

"Katherine Beckett?" he called into the waiting room.

Kate stood up and handed her jacket to Castle.

"You'll do fine. I'll be waiting for you when you get out," Castle said.

"Not until I say?" Kate said again, biting her lip.

"Not until you say," Castle promised with a smile.

Kate turned around, erected her posture and headed in.

* * *

"Mr. Castle?" the dentist asked.

"Yes," Rick stood up, glancing at his watch.

"Ms. Beckett would like to see you now," the dentist relayed.

"She only just went in there," Castle frowned.

"The procedure only took about 30 minutes, Mr. Castle," the dentist said.

"Oh, ok," Castle said, confused. He gathered up his and Kate's jackets and followed the dentist into the recovery room.

"Castle!" Kate smiled. She winced in pain as the stitches in her mouth pulled. "I can't believe my favourite writer is here to see me," she gawked lightheadedly.

"Kate," Castle smiled, "I thought you wanted me to wait a little while before coming to see you?" he asked, it being clear to Castle that the drugs were still very much in her system.

Kate snorted loudly, "Wait? Why would I want to do that?" her speech came out slurred from the wads of cotton in her mouth. "My mouth feels funny," she said , reaching in to feel the foreign substance in her mouth.

"I don't think you're supposed to touch that," Castle said.

Kate rolled her eyes toward him, "Why the hell not?" she asked.

"Because there are stitches in your mouth," Castle explained patiently to the perplexed Beckett.

"Stitches?" she repeated, losing concentration.

"Yes, stitches," Castle said.

"Oh," she trailed off. "That's pretty."

"What?" Castle turned to see what she was looking at.

"Why are there stitches in my mouth?" Kate demanded.

"You got your wisdom teeth pulled out," Castle explained.

Kate looked shocked, "I did?"

Castle grinned and slowly slid his phone out of his pocket."Yeah the dentist took them out."

"How'd he do that?" Kate asked in amazement.

Castle opened his mouth to explain, paused and stopped when he realized he didn't know. "I'm not sure. But you slept through it and it's over now."

"I dreamt about me and you riding horses, into the sunset. Kinda like in the movies," Kate said, her speech garbled.

Castle raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Really?"

"Yeah, and there were sparkles. And mirrors!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Lots of mirrors."

"What else was there?" Castle asked, hitting the record button on his phone.

"Oh, I don't know," Kate said staring at the ceiling. "Ryan and Esposito were singing this stupid song, how did it go?" She frowned in concentration. "Sort of like this," Kate started to hum a few notes of an unrecognizable song.

"Kate," Castle said.

She continued humming, her vision fixated on the rotating fan above her.

"Kate," Castle said again.

Kate whipped towards him, "Castle, am I dead?"

He stifled a laugh, "No, you're not dead."

She sighed dramatically. "Good. Because if I were dead it would be weird. Like, would I see my dog?"

"You had a dog?" Castle asked.

Kate turned towards him with her fiercest glare, her eyes only half focused on his face. "Yes, Castle. I had a dog."

"Sorry," he whispered with a small grin. "Hey, Katie?"

"Don't call me that!" she said loudly. "Only my parents call me that," she slurred, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry," Castle said again. "Kate, how do you feel?"

Kate rolled her entire head towards him and tried to focus her blurry vision on his face. "How the hell do I look like I feel?" she asked, her slurred speech emphasizing her drugged state. "I feel like I'm in a cloud of fuzz. Everything is shiny and sparkly. Like Christmas, but without the stupid jingle bell song," she said, starting to sing the song with a distracted tone. Her concentration flew back to her as a thought entered her mind, "You know why I hate that song?" she asked, breaking off the tune.

"Why?" Castle asked, zooming the phone's camera in on her face.

"Because when I was a kid," she took a breath, "no one sang that song to me." Her face scrunched up, and she started to sob.

"Hey, hey," Castle reached over to stroke her soft brown hair and wipe at the stray tears leaking from her eyelids.

She brushed his hand away irritatedly, "Don't, Gates will find out."

"Gates isn't here," Castle explained, although unable to stop himself from double checking.

Kate looked around, her head moving with no sense of direction. "Gates is everywhere, Castle," her voice lowered to a whisper, "She's probably watching us right now."

"Kate -" Castle was cut off by the sound of the dentist coming into the room.

"Mr. Castle, Kate's ready to go home now. She's going to be a bit out of it for the next few hours. Here's her prescribed pain medication, she can take one pill every three hours. Don't let her touch her mouth, and she can't drive for at least 24 hours," the dentist instructed.

"Ok, no problem. I'll look after her," Castle said.

"Are we going home now?" Kate grinned.

"Yup, so let's get you up," Castle said, reaching out to help her up.

"I can get up by myself, Castle," Kate said, standing up quickly and then swaying until Castle quickly grabbed her arm. "Everything feels like it's spinning. Is this an earthquake?" she asked.

"Nope, no earthquake," he said before consenting to stop his recording. Between a tipsy Beckett and all of the items that came with her, it was too tricky to hold the phone steady.

"Why are we going out the back door?" Kate asked.

"I don't want you to be embarrassed," Castle said.

"I'm not embarrassed," Kate yawned. "Just tired," she mumbled.

"I know, sweetheart. We're almost at the car so just stay awake for a little bit longer," Castle said, gently coaxing her along. Her weak knees bent and wobbled, threatening to give out; and Castle was forced to carry most of her weight.

As they approached the car, Castle opened the passenger door and helped Kate inside. By the time he situated himself on the driver's side, she was out like a light.

* * *

Kate's head ached as she pried her eyes open. The world around her spun and fuzzed slightly, her vision not cooperating. She went to lick her dry lips and was met with a tongue full of cotton. "What the hell?" she frowned. Slowly it all came back to her. "Oh, God." she mumbled, "What did I do?"

"Good morning," Castle said cheerfully, holding a tray with a flower, a bowl of soup and a bottle of pills on top.

"How bad was it?" Kate asked.

"You don't remember?" Castle asked.

Kate shook her head. "Was it bad?"

"No," Castle said, "Not at all."

"Really?" Kate asked.

Seeing the relief on her face, Castle didn't have the heart to tell her. "Mmhmm, you were still sleeping when I came in. I helped you out to the car, we drove home and you didn't wake up until right now," he smiled softly. "Nothing embarrassing about that."

"Did people see you carrying me?" Kate asked with a worried look on her face. She kneaded the blanket Castle had draped over her with her fingers.

"No, I took you through the back door."

Kate let out a breath, "Thank you." She smiled, relaxation setting in as her anxiety fell away.

Castle reached into his pocket and casually deleted the video he had taken. He turned his attention back to Kate, setting the tray down in front of her and kneeling at her side. Castle smiled and took her hand in his. "Always."

* * *

_A/N: Preview for next chapter - Castle and Beckett's weekend ski vacation. Hot chocolate, lots of snow and a cozy cabin in the mountains._

_Feel free to leave a review if you wish. If not, happy reading!_


	3. A Weekend on the Slopes

_A/N: Thank you for your responses to the story. I especially enjoyed those of you who shared your own wisdoms teeth extraction stories, they made me laugh!_

* * *

3. A Weekend on the Slopes

"Castle, it's beautiful," Kate breathed, her breaths coming out in short puffs of air.

Castle and Beckett admired the cozy log cabin sitting in front of them, its roof snow capped and smoke whispering its way out from the chimney.

"I used to take Alexis here every winter break. It was our special hiding place; away from homework and deadlines," Castle smiled at the memory. "I've never brought anyone here but her."

"She's not going to be mad?" Kate asked, looking up at Castle.

Castle smiled and pulled her into him. "It was her idea. She's busy with school and couldn't make it, so she suggested I take you instead."

"That's sweet," Kate smiled to herself.

"Let's go inside, it's freezing out here!" Castle grinned, tugging on Kate's gloved hand and racing her to the front door.

The pair began running, Kate slowly passing Castle in their lighthearted competition.

Kate slammed her hand on the wooden door, and turned around triumphantly, "Come on, Castle. You're supposed to be fast," she turned around when Castle didn't answer her.

She saw him lying in the snow seconds before she was hit by a pile of white powder. Sputtering as the cold snow dripped off her nose, she narrowed her eyelids with a smirk. Kneeling down, she dodged another snowball while quickly forming one of her own.

"Remember, you brought this on yourself!" Kate called out. She threw the snowball at him and burst into laughter as it hit its mark.

"Hey, no fair!" Castle whined, his hair and forehead coated in white fluff. "You can't hit a man while he's down. It's not ethical!"

He was cut off as a second snowball exploded in his face.

"That's it," he growled, pulling himself up. Mindful of the branch that had tripped him earlier, he charged at Kate.

She ran away from him, laughing. "Ok, Castle, I'm sorry! Please don't -"

He bowled into her, knocking her to the ground. They lay there laughing, their cheeks rosy and hair frosting in the cold.

Castle leaned in, and kissed her as she lay underneath him. Snow sprinkled down on top of them as they held each other in the silent forest around them.

Breaking apart, they smiled.

"You look cold," Castle said.

"And whose fault is that?" Kate pushed him off of her and pulled herself up off of the freezing ground.

Castle rose and began brushing the snow off of Kate's back, making sure not to miss the snow coating her butt.

Kate turned into him, "Can we go inside now?"

Castle grinned, "Of course." He took her hand in his, and they made their way through the snow to the cabin's entryway.

Opening the front door, Kate gasped in awe. "It's gorgeous."

The cabin was made completely of wood. A stone fireplace sat in the living room; a thick, fuzzy rug covering the space in front of it. The kitchen had a twenty-foot ceiling and was fitted with all stainless-steel appliances. A winding staircase sat in the back of the cabin, presumably leading up to the bedrooms.

"I won't take the credit for the design. Alexis and the interior designer did most of the work. I only did my bedroom," Castle said.

"How old is the cabin?" Kate asked, running her fingers along the back of the couch.

"About four years," Castle responded.

Kate picked up a picture sitting on a nearby shelf. "This is adorable," Kate laughed.

Castle peered at the picture, it showed him and Alexis wearing matching pink snowsuits. "Oh, yeah," Castle scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "She had a thing for pink when she was... Fourteen? She bought me the snowsuit as a surprise, so I had to wear it."

"Looks like you didn't mind that much," Kate said, glancing at the next photo in the line that showed Castle showing off his puffy pink muscles.

Castle grabbed Kate's waist and steered her towards the kitchen, "Ok, enough pictures for today."

Kate grinned, secretly devising a plan to steal the photo and bring it back with her to the precinct.

Castle busied himself in the kitchen, "What would you like for dinner?"

"I'm actually not that hungry right now... Do you want to go skiing for an hour instead?" Kate asked, looking at the fresh snow piling up on the mountain.

Castle considered, "Sure. The mountain's open until eleven, so we have," he checked his watch, "Lots of time."

"Race you there?" Kate teased.

Castle walked over and kissed her, "Pass."

* * *

Kate sat at the tall table, waiting for Castle to get back with drinks. Her cheeks and nose were flushed pink and she had her chin buried in the heat of her jacket. Snow dripped off of her boots and skis. She removed her gloves, shaking out the ice that had found its way in and rubbing some warmth back into her fingers.

Castle picked his way through the crowded lodge with two steaming drinks in his hand. "This is a change," he said.

"Hot chocolate versus coffee?" Kate asked, taking the cup he held out to her.

"I almost ordered the wrong thing," Castle grinned.

Kate smiled as she sipped at the piping hot drink. "You know, I would've taken you for a snowboard guy, Castle."

"When I was fourteen, I tried snowboarding for the first time. I fell, and since my feet were strapped in, my ankle bent backwards and broke." He paused, "I never really wanted to snowboard after that."

"Fair enough," Kate nodded.

"How about you? Broken bones?" Castle asked.

Kate grinned with a groan. "Four, actually."

"Continue," Castle said, hunkering down for a story.

"Maybe next time," Kate said.

"I told you mine," Castle whined.

"Are you hungry?" Kate asked.

Castle furrowed his brow in thought, Kate's distraction ploy effective. "I could eat."

"Do you want to stop at the restaurant or get something from the café to go?" Beckett asked.

"Mm," Castle hummed. "To go."

* * *

After a dinner eaten in pyjamas in front of the fire, Castle sighed as he looked into the flames. Kate nuzzled into him a little closer, enjoying the heat that both he and the roaring fire provided.

"Thank you, Castle," Kate murmured.

"For what?"

"This weekend," Kate said.

"Don't thank me yet," Castle whispered, kissing the top of her head and then her lips as she turned towards him.

"Why not?"

"You haven't even seen the bedroom."

"I'm sure it's great," Kate said, kissing him this time.

"You don't understand," Castle said. "I promised myself I wouldn't ever take a woman in there."

Kate broke away. "Do you want me to sleep in Alexis' room?" she hesitated before adding, "I don't mind."

Castle stared at her, shocked at how fantastic the woman in front of him was. "No, no. I was going to say that I promised myself I wouldn't ever take a woman in there if I didn't think she would be," Castle paused.

Kate watched him, "What is it?"

"If I didn't think she was the one," Castle said.

Kate was silent.

"But I would be honoured, if you would join me," Castle said. Although his exterior was calm, he shook with nervousness.

Kate's breath hitched in her throat. "Castle, I -" she stopped, unsure of what to say.

Castle stood up, and offered her his hand.

Kate stared at it, the wheels spinning in her head. Looking from Castle's hand to his eyes, she smiled.

Their fingers laced together, and held on tight.

* * *

_A/N: Next chapter: Castle brings home a puppy, and realizes that this bundle of fur is more than he can take care of on his own..._

_Leave a review if you'd like :) And if not, then I hope you're enjoying the story so far!_


	4. Castle's Puppy

_A/N: Thank you all for your support of this story, I'm glad you're enjoying it! _

* * *

4. Castle's Puppy

Kate opened the door after rushing the thirteen-block drive between her apartment and Castle's loft. "I'm here," she announced. "What's the emergency?"

Castle rounded the corner with a small, wriggling bundle of fur nestled in his arms.

Kate dropped her things on the bench beside the door. "What is that?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"He," Castle corrected, "Is a Beagle. His name is Cooper."

"God, Castle, I almost ran over an old lady rushing to get here. I thought something serious happened," Kate said.

"Well, it did," Castle said, pointing to the ravaged floor of his apartment.

"Oh my God. He did all that?" Kate asked, making her way over to the mess.

Piles of shredded toilet paper and doggy pee-pads lay in heaps amidst the well-scattered piles of chew toys and -

"I think I just stepped in pee," Kate froze, her sock in the air as it dripped with urine.

Castle winced and set down the puppy, "I'm sorry," he peeled the sock off of her foot and handed her a washcloth.

"What did you do, Castle, leave him alone all day?" Kate asked as she scrubbed at her toes.

"Well," Castle drummed his fingers on the dining room table, "I found him on my way to a book signing."

"You found this dog?" Kate interrupted.

"Ok, no. There was an online listing and it was nearby and I was just supposed to look but come on," Castle picked up the puppy, "Look at his widdle face!"

"Ok," Kate waved a hand at him, "Continue."

"But he wasn't allowed in the hotel and I wasn't going to leave him in my car, so I dropped him off here with a few necessities - you know, treats and toys."

"Look how well that turned out for you," Kate remarked.

"I thought he would sleep for a few hours!" Castle insisted. "I didn't think a seven-pound puppy would do," he looked around, "This."

"Ok, Castle, the first rule of having a new puppy is don't leave it alone. Didn't you have a daughter? What did you do with her when she couldn't come with you places?" Kate asked, starting to pick up the assortment of toys littering the ground.

"I brought her with me anyways," Castle shrugged. "Or I didn't go. Plus, I had a wife back then who took Alexis. Occasionally."

"Whatever," Kate dismissed him. "Did you buy a crate?"

Castle looked horrified, before having an idea and speaking through the small puppy, "I don't want to have a crate, daddy." As Castle: "It's ok Cooper-Wooper, daddy won't cage you up, he promises."

"Castle," Kate said, "Focus. Dogs like crates. It's like their den, ok? They need one to feel secure and to have their own space in the house."

"Ok, fine. I'll make a list," Castle took out his phone and typed in 'Cooper's Doggy Needs: 1. Crate'.

Kate started to pick up the shreds of toilet paper. "Rule number two, close any doors where he can get into things. Bedrooms, bathrooms, anywhere you don't want him to ruin something."

Castle studiously recorded Kate's words into his smartphone.

"Cover trash lids, don't leave food out, don't feed him chocolate or chicken bones, don't leave your shoes out and most importantly," Kate waited for Castle to look at her before adding, "Lock up your underwear."

"Ew," Castle grimaced, but wrote it down.

"You're going to need to get his shots done, too. Have you picked out a vet?" Kate asked.

"There's one a few blocks from here," Castle said.

"Good," Kate said. She looked at her handiwork and smiled.

"Hey, thanks!" Castle said as he noticed his clean living room.

"And don't think I'm your cleaning fairy," Kate said. "He's your responsibility and you can't call me every time he has an accident in the house.

Castle snapped his finger in front of him, "Shoot. Maybe I'll hire a maid."

That comment earned him a dirty look from Beckett.

"So," Castle quickly changed the subject. "What was his name? Your dog, I mean."

"She was a girl, and her name was Riley. I got her for my thirteenth birthday, and I had her for twelve years," Kate smiled at the memory.

"What kind of dog?" Castle asked.

"Black lab. She was gorgeous, and a great swimmer. We used to run in Central Park every morning and she would bark at all of the ducks in the pond."

Castle grinned, "She sounds great.

"Yeah, she really was."

It was silent for a moment before a high-pitched whining filled the air. Kate looked down to see the little puppy sitting at her feet, wagging his tail. She bent down to stroke his soft ears, "Hey, Cooper. How's it going? How're you, boy?"

He responded with an ever-increasing rate of thumping on Kate's foot. His tongue suddenly protruded out of his mouth as he began to yawn.

"Oh, are you tired?" Kate said to the dog. She turned to Castle, "Where's his bed?"

Castle led Kate and the sleepy puppy into his bedroom where a tiny bed sat beside Castle's.

"That's not going to happen," Kate laughed.

"What?" Castle asked.

"That dog will whine and whine, and knowing you, he'll be sleeping in your bed within the hour," Kate said.

Castle looked at his bed, "These sheets are one-hundred percent cotton."

Kate shrugged.

Castle let out a groan but stopped when he looked at the little Beagle all snuggled in to his dog bed. "Aw, look," Castle pointed.

Kate leaned into Rick, "He's very sweet."

Castle sighed. "He's going to be trouble."

"Just what you need," Kate grinned, and turned to walk out of the bedroom.

"Hey," Castle caught up with her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Kate said innocently. "He's just going to give you a taste of your own medicine."

"How so?" Castle challenged.

"I dare you to teach him to stay," Kate zipped, the punchline of a cosmic joke years in the making.

"Ha, ha," Castle said. "You're funny."

"Oh yeah?" Kate turned into him. She ran her fingers down his button-up shirt. "I try."

Castle shivered. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Kate leaned in close and whispered in his ear, "Your dog is peeing on the floor."

Castle whipped his head towards the entrance of his bedroom where a guilty-looking Beagle was standing, leg raised. "No! Bad dog," Castle picked him up, heading for the door as a trail of pee continued to flow from the dog's bladder.

Kate laughed, "Listen, Castle, I have to go. But have fun with your new best friend."

"Take the elevator with me," Castle said, grabbing Cooper's dark blue leash.

As Kate stepped into the elevator, Castle turned to her, the urine-soaked puppy in his outstretched arms. "So, joint-custody?"

The elevator doors closed with a ding.

* * *

_A/N: Chapter 5 Preview - Beckett's looking for some new furniture, so Caskett takes a trip to the furniture store, and has lots of fun goofing around inside!_

_P.S. If anyone would like to see anything specific in this story, please let me know! I'm still good for ideas, but in case anyone would like to see a particular scene, I'm always open to it. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Furniture Shopping

5. Furniture Shopping

"We're just looking for a new mattress, that's it," Kate instructed.

"Aw," Castle whined, "But I love Furniture Outlet!"

"Sorry, Castle. Maybe next time," Kate smirked at his distressed expression.

Castle reached out and grabbed her arm, "Let's pretend we're brother and sister, then make out on the couches."

"Tempting," Kate said, "But I think I'm gonna go with no on that one."

"Ok, how about this," Castle said excitedly. "We're from the future. We can go to the entertainment centre and act all shocked at 'them moving pictures'!"

Kate smiled to herself, and checked her watch. She turned towards Castle and spoke to him quietly, "Here's what I'll do. We have twenty minutes to spend in the store. I get the first ten to buy a mattress. You can have the second ten to do whatever you'd like. Deal?"

Castle grinned mischievously, "Ok."

* * *

Castle tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, checking his phone for the thousandth time. The timer ticked down slowly, 1:51, 1:50.

Peering around the corner, Castle spotted Beckett standing in line, the number of the mattress she had chosen on a slip of paper in her hand.

Returning his attention to his phone, Castle tried to entertain himself.

1:38.

The day's riddle: What do you fill with empty hands? Castle scoffed. Too easy. 'Gloves', he typed.

1:03.

Quick round of Angry Birds. Castle tried aiming the small red bird, and launched. Those damn pigs just wouldn't die! He sighed and pressed the home button on his phone.

0:36.

Quick check on Beckett: she was filling out a form for the movers to deliver the mattress. Castle groaned and checked his phone again.

0:36.

What? He tapped the screen, and watched it tick down to 0:35. Recalling an article he had read earlier that morning, he wondered if his lack of attention span really was from watching Spongebob obsessively as a kid. And as an adult.

0:29.

Ooh, here she comes! Castle stuffed the phone in his pocket and sauntered over. "So, my sister from the year 1635, what should we gawk at first?"

He ignored the groan that Beckett emitted and steered her over to the first crowd of people he saw. They were watching a demonstration of the newest game system that allowed the player to literally immerse himself in the video game.

"Castle, please, don't. Let's go," Kate pleaded as he continued to drag her towards the people.

"Howdy, folks!" Castle put on a Western accent.

"Castle!" Kate hissed as everyone turned their head.

"Wow," Castle took in the game system display, "What's mama gonna think of this here device?" he asked, turning towards Kate expectantly.

Kate shifted uncomfortably as the crowd's eyes fell on her. Feigning a terrible excuse for an accent, she spoke stiffly, "Well, I don't know."

"Come here, my sweet baby sister," Castle crooned, swooping in for a deep kiss.

Beckett opened her eyes and saw people turning away and mothers closing their children's eyes. Pulling away from Rick, Kate hurried out of the store. Castle followed, anxious that he'd embarrassed her.

As soon as he crossed the threshold of the automatic sliding doors, he heard Kate just to the left of him. Turning his head towards the noise, he saw her doubled over laughing.

"Kate?" Castle asked with a tentative smile.

"Did you see the look on their faces?" Kate choked out, a tear sliding down her face.

Castle chuckled, "Yeah, they fell for it."

"Fell for it?" Kate breathed, "Castle, I thought they were going to call the police!"

Kate's laughter was contagious, and Castle found himself to be short of breath himself just a moment later. They sat on the concrete, backs resting on the wall of the furniture store.

Kate sighed as she finally gained control of herself. "We can't do that again."

"Why not?" Castle asked. "I thought you had fun."

"I did, but next time I don't think I'll make it out of the store in time," Kate snorted.

"Did you just snort?" Castle asked incredulously.

Kate had her hand over her mouth, "I think I did."

"That is definitely going in the next Nikki Heat book."

"I haven't snorted in years," Kate giggled.

Castle leaned over and kissed her. "I love it when you snort."

"You make me do crazy things, Richard Castle," Kate whispered.

Her words brought a soft smile to Castle's face. "Good."

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for your awesome reviews! I realized Martha and Alexis have yet to be a part of this story, so..._

_Chapter 6 Preview: 3 Castles, 1 Beckett. No power, and a long night ahead!_

_Feel free to leave a review, and if not - happy reading!_


	6. Scale of One to Ten

6. Scale of One to Ten

Castle flicked the light switch - On, off. On, off. He sped up his flickering, tapping the switch to his own internal rhythm.

"Richard," Martha groaned from the couch, "Will you just stop."

"Sorry," Castle took his finger off the switch as he realized what he was doing.

Kate emerged from the kitchen, a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses entwined in her fingers. She made her way to the candlelit living room, settled onto the small love seat adjacent from the larger couch and watched as Castle rummaged through a low cupboard, hunting for a flashlight.

"Dad?" Alexis shouted from upstairs.

Castle stood up abruptly, smacking his head on the shelf above him. "Ouch," he whispered, rubbing the bump on the back of his skull. "Yes, hon? What's up?"

"Do you want the lantern or that little flashlight you use to trim your nose hairs?" Alexis called, oblivious.

Kate raised her eyebrow at Castle, a teasing smile playing on her face. "Esposito's going to love that," she murmured into her wine glass.

"Lantern, please," Castle called. He chucked a stray pencil in Kate's direction. "I heard that."

"Richard has always had the hairiest nose," Martha started. "When he was fourteen he- "

"Mother," Castle warned.

Martha waved a hand at him before lowering her voice, "Remind me to tell you that story another time. He was so embarrassed -"

Castle plucked the wine glass out of his mother's hand, "That's enough of that."

"Richard," Martha tutted, taking the wine glass back from where Castle had set it on the table.

Alexis trotted down the stairs, her red hair bouncing down behind her as she fiddled with the green camping lantern that she carried with her.

"Hey, Alexis," Kate greeted.

"Oh," Alexis looked up and smiled, "Hi, Detective Beckett."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Kate?" Beckett teased.

"Sorry," Alexis brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear to hide the blush that slowly crept onto her cheeks. Twisting the knob on the stubborn lantern once more, it suddenly burst to life.

"Hey!" Castle grinned, "It lives!"

Alexis sat it down on the table, its light adding to the already cozy atmosphere of the Castle household. "Does anyone want anything else?" she asked.

"No, thanks sweetheart," Castle smiled at his daughter. "Why don't you sit down?"

"I'd love to, dad, but I have a report due next week and I was hoping to get started on it tonight," Alexis said apprehensively.

"Ok, that's fine. Just don't work too hard," Castle grinned.

"Sorry to be rude," Alexis directed towards Kate, "It's just that finals are coming up and I'm supposed to be taking a trip with some friends next weekend so things have been kind of crazy."

"Don't apologize to me, Alexis. Even though your dad didn't work hard in University, I know what it's like to pull all-nighters so I could have a free weekend," Kate winked.

Alexis smiled, "Thanks."

Martha waited until she heard Alexis' door close before speaking, "So... How are things?"

"Mother, I -" Castle started.

"No," Kate set her hand on his arm, "It's ok, Castle. Things are going well," she turned to smile at Martha.

"She has yet to shoot me, so I'd have to agree," Castle joked.

"That's all well and good, but I was referring to the bedroom department," Martha asked, apparently ok with the inappropriate nature of her question.

"Mother!" Castle squeaked in protest.

"Hey, kiddo," she pointed, "If it's not working in the bedroom, it's not working anywhere else."

"So," Kate cleared her throat, "How's your acting studio doing, Martha?"

"Oh!" she stood up theatrically, off to the kitchen for some more wine.

Castle turned to Kate mouthing an apology for his mother's behaviour. She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement, rubbing a small circle into his palm.

"The studio is doing marvellously. There are some real shining stars emerging," Martha squinted at the wine bottle's label in the dim light. Satisfied with her choice, she uncorked it and poured herself a large glass.

"Are you staying over?" Castle murmured into Beckett's ear, his warm breath tickling the fine hairs lining her neck.

"I don't know, Castle. I have to go in early tomorrow," she spoke quietly.

"What if the power's still out?" he asked.

"People don't stop being killed when the lights turn off. You should know that more than anyone," Kate teased.

"True," Castle remarked. "At least let me drive you, then."

Martha began walking back over from the kitchen.

"Ok," Kate acknowledged.

"Ok, what?" Martha asked as she sat herself back down.

"I'm going to drive Kate home, it's getting late," Castle said.

"Home," Martha exclaimed. "Don't you want to stay over? I can go upstairs and you two can... You know," she started gesturing.

"Ok," Castle stood up, "You ready to go?" he asked Kate.

"Yeah I think so," she stood and grabbed her coat. "Thanks for the wine, Martha."

"Anytime, kiddo," she winked.

Castle opened the front door and ushered Kate out. He winced as the door closed behind him, thoroughly embarrassed by his mother.

"Don't worry, Castle. She's just saying what everyone's thinking," Kate grinned.

"Yeah, well I wish she wouldn't," Castle shuddered.

Kate stopped him, pulling him in for a kiss. "So, Castle. How _are_ things in the bedroom? On a scale of one to ten."

Castle frowned, "Is this a trick question?"

Kate raised an eyebrow, "No..."

"Well then I'd have to say a somewhere around a nine point five," Castle grinned, quite pleased with himself.

"What?" Kate asked her smile fading. "That's it?"

"Nine point five! That's good!" Castle swallowed. "Right?"

Kate pulled away, seemingly upset, "So what, you've had better?"

"No!" Castle said, rapidly backtracking. "A ten. We are definitely at a ten."

"Mmhm," Kate started to grin, a devilish look in her eye.

"Oh that's mean," Castle said. "That was so mean."

"You know I like watching you sweat," Kate teased.

"I'll remember that," Castle warned good-naturedly. He leaned in for a kiss and felt desire sweep through him. Breaking away, he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to stay over?"

Kate paused to consider. Making up her mind, she spoke, "On one condition."

Castle grinned, "Anything."

Kate leaned in and whispered, "I get to hear your mom's story about your furry little nose," she pinched the cartilage tip.

Castle frowned, "You drive a hard bargain."

Kate leaned down, running her hands along Castle's body. "I think, if we try real hard," she paused, squeezing his thigh, "We can get to a ten tonight," she murmured tantalizingly.

Castle took in a breath he didn't know he was holding. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, enjoying the moment, "Deal."

* * *

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, I'd love to hear from you :) _

_Chapter 7 Preview: Castle gets a man cold. God help us. _


	7. Man Cold

7. Man Cold

Castle moaned as another cough wracked his lungs. His nose was bright red and a steady stream of snot dribbled out onto his pillow. "Kate?" he called out weakly.

Kate popped her head in the doorway, "Yes?"

"Can you call my mom?" Castle asked, his voice muffled by the pillow covering his head.

Kate rolled her eyes, "Don't be so dramatic, Castle. You're not dying."

"Sure feels like it," he mumbled.

"I'll be right back, ok? Your soup is going to burn," Kate said, leaving the room.

"No, don't go. I need you to write my obituary," Castle groaned loudly. His head pounded, each beat drumming on the inside of his skull. Shivering, Castle pulled the covers up under his chin. He tossed and turned, aiming to get comfortable and didn't notice Kate coming back into the room.

She carried a tray filled with Castle's lunch. A steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, a large glass of water and a vase full of pencils.

"Thank you, thank you, and what are these for?" Castle asked, referring to the pencils.

Kate climbed into bed beside him and pulled out a notepad. She handed it to him, "For your obituary."

Castle pushed her hand away, "You write it."

Kate watched Castle trying to spoon the hot soup into his mouth without spilling. Plucking a pencil from the collection on the tray, she began to write.

"Read it out loud," Castle sniffed. "Ugh, how is it even possible for a nose to feel stuffy but be runny at the same time?"

"Richard Castle was known to the public as a writer extraordinaire," Kate started reading what she had written. "But to those who knew him well, he was anything but."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Castle whined.

"Castle hated to write. His real talent was storytelling, but he wasn't always patient enough to get his stories onto the printed page."

Castle shrugged in reluctant agreement.

"Richard Castle was a father, a son," she paused as she continued to write, "And a real pain in the ass sometimes."

Castle grabbed the pencil and notebook out of Kate's hand, "You're terrible at this." He began writing with a flourish, "Richard Castle was a ruggedly handsome, talented man with a joke for every situation."

Kate rolled her eyes.

Castle gave her a look, "He put up with his overly sarcastic girlfriend even though she tore at his heart strings every time she rolled those pretty green eyes."

Kate slapped his arm, stealing the notebook back. "Eat your soup, it's getting cold."

"I'm seriously concerned about what's going in my obituary now," Castle slurped. He swallowed the warm liquid with a wince at his sore throat before continuing. "Before, I just assumed it would be a beautiful homage to my existence," Castle mused, "But now... I'm not so sure."

"Good thing we don't have to worry about it for a long time," Kate rolled out of bed. "Do you want anything else?"

"No," Castle said, "I think I'm going to have a nap."

"Ok, sleep well," Kate said quietly, beginning to close the door.

"Kate?" Castle called.

"Yeah?" she asked, pushing the door open a little further.

"Seriously, would you write me a nice obituary if I died?" Castle asked.

"Of course," Kate grinned, "But you're not dying, Castle." She closed the door and heard him whine dramatically.

"But it's a possibility!"

"Don't worry, Castle. It's just a man cold."

* * *

_A/N: So that was more of a short and sweet chapter while I decide where this story is going. The response to it is steadily dropping, so I'm trying to figure out if this is a good time to start wrapping it up? Feel free to let me know what you're thinking, and whether or not you think it should continue. It would be great to get some suggestions as to what could make it better. I'm always trying to improve in my writing! There will be a couple more chapters for sure, I'm just not sure exactly how many more. _

_ Thank you to my reviewers - you guys rock!_

_Chapter 8 Preview: Castle and Beckett go out for dinner. Guess who they run into? That's right, Captain Gates. _


	8. Dinner with Gates?

8. Dinner with... Gates?

Castle opened the car door for Beckett to climb out. Her four-inch heels clattered on the pavement, making tiny splashes as they dug into the raindrops starting to puddle in the dips and curves of the sidewalk.

The host of the restaurant swung the heavy glass door open for the couple, smiling as they entered. Castle's arm lay wrapped around Kate's waist as she stepped in front of him. She laughed at something he said, her nose wrinkling and the creases around her eyes deepening in elation.

"Do you have a reservation?" the waiter at the front spoke, jolting them out of their reverie.

"Ah, yes," Castle said suavely, "For Richard Castle."

The waiter glanced down at his sheet, double checking the name. Noting its appearance on his list, he beckoned Castle and Beckett, "Right this way."

Castle followed Kate and the waiter to the table, letting some relaxation seep into his aching muscles. The day had been hard, the case harder. But now, it was all about him and Kate.

"Thank you," Kate smiled as the waiter pulled out the brass chair for her. She slipped her jacket off, revealing her long, thin arms and gorgeous blue dress. Settling in, her eyes met Castle's.

"You look beautiful," Castle said softly, a reflective smile on his face as he watched an embarrassed blush creep onto Kate's cheeks.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle," Kate bit her bottom lip and raised the menu up over the lower half of her face. Skipping past the meal choices, Kate focused on the specialty wine section of the menu.

Castle watched as she furrowed her brow in concentration. Grinning to himself, he remembered how that minuscule habit had attracted him to her in the first place.

"Castle," Kate's voice broke into the memory. "You're staring."

Castle set down his menu and folded his hands on top of the table. "I was just thinking about that time we - Oh, my God," Castle snatched the menu up and quickly buried his face into it.

Kate turned around to see what had him reacting so violently when she felt him grip her wrist. "What?" she asked, having turned back towards him.

"Hide," Castle whispered. However, his small stolen glance over the top of the menu to speak to Kate had cost him dearly.

"Mr. Castle?" Captain Gates made her way over to their table.

Kate froze at the sound of her voice. Mortified, she covered her face with the dessert menu, looking to the left so as not to be noticed.

Gates had made her way through the throng of tables at the restaurant and now stood beside Castle's. Kate's conspicuous position had Gates peering over at her, until she realized just what she was seeing. "Detective Beckett," she stated.

Kate slowly lowered the menu, guilt written all over her face. "Captain Gates," she acknowledged, not meeting her eye.

"Now what might you two be doing out on a Saturday night?" Gates asked, glancing judgmentally at Beckett's low cut dress.

"We were just getting a bite to eat," Castle said, an innocent grin plastered on his face.

"I see..." Gates said. "Detective Beckett, may I have a word with you? Privately," she directed at Castle.

"Yes, sir," Kate said.

Castle watched as Kate stood, her head bent and her walk not as confident as it normally was. He noticed her rubbing the tips of her fingers together on her right hand; a nervous habit.

As the two women disappeared from view, Castle groaned and put his head in his hands, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

* * *

"Do you have any idea what this looks like, Detective Beckett?" Gates snapped.

"Sir, I -"

"Don't you 'sir' me," Gates interrupted, "How am I going to explain this to the commissioner? To the mayor?"

"To be honest, sir, I don't know. But please, it wasn't Castle's fault, I started the relationship and -" Kate started.

"You initiated this?" Gates asked.

"Yes, sir. It was after I had resigned from the department, and at the time there wasn't anything wrong with it -"

"At the time," Gates cut her off. Her figure now stood stiff, arms crossed across her chest. Both of her eyebrows were raised in a cross between anger and disbelief. "Detective Beckett, there will be serious consequences for this evening."

Kate lowered her eyes, her heart sinking. "Yes, sir."

"However, since I arrived late to the restaurant and you had a sudden urge to go home, we just missed each other," Gates said sharply.

Kate's stomach fluttered with the realization that she wasn't about to be fired. "Yes, sir."

"And if I ever did see you and Mr. Castle in an inappropriate relationship, I would have both of you removed from my Precinct. Understood?" Gates asked.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Kate said, trying not to sound too grateful.

"Dismissed," Gates said.

Kate turned to leave when she was called back by the Captain.

"Detective Beckett?" Gates said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Good for you," the Captain smiled knowingly.

Kate smiled back, slightly embarrassed. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

Kate returned back to the table where Castle was anxiously waiting. Leaning down to pick up her coat, Castle pounced.

"So?" he asked.

"We have to leave," Kate said simply.

"Leave what? The precinct? Did you get fired?" Castle asked.

Kate made wide eyes at Castle, "We have to leave the restaurant. Now."

"Ok," Castle gathered up his things and threw a ten on the table for the waiter who hadn't even begun to serve them yet.

The freezing air met Kate's face as she stepped outside. Turning towards Castle, she drew him in; kissing him passionately.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Castle broke away.

"She knows, but she didn't fire me," Kate grinned.

"What?" Castle nearly shouted. "That's fantastic!"

"I know," Kate breathed, "But she said that she doesn't want to see us out in public again."

"No problem, we'll just have to start ordering in," Castle tugged Kate towards him as he kissed her this time. Her scent washed over him and he breathed her in, exhilarated by the knowledge that their relationship was no longer threatened by the Captain. He pulled away and whispered, "Let's go home."

Kate followed him, her hand in his as they made their way back to the car. "You're going to have to buy her a gift, you know."

"Ooh, I know just the thing. A creepy little doll."

"Fine, but you are not showing me any pictures, I'll have nightmares for weeks."

"You're a homicide detective and dolls give you nightmares?"

Kate bumped his shoulder with hers, "Shut up, Castle."

* * *

_A/N: Due to your responses, 'The Little Moments' will continue! Thank you for your support, and seeing that people are still enjoying the story, I'm happy to continue writing it. _

_Feel free to leave a review, and if not, happy reading!_

_Chapter 9 Preview: Castle brings Kate with him on a book signing, and soon realizes it wasn't such a good idea when the fans show more interest in her than in Castle's books! _


	9. The Book Signing

9. The Book Signing

Castle ushered Kate into the back door of the bookstore, having insisted on big sunglasses and a baseball cap as a disguise in order to enter the building without being trampled by wild fans and blinded by paparazzi -

"Get over yourself, Castle. You're not that big of a deal," Kate bit as Castle shielded her with his body as a small cluster of women walked by.

Castle gave her a look, "Let me have my moment. You didn't have to come."

"This was your idea, remember?" Kate asked, pulling down the short dress Castle had picked out. "And why am I dressed like a hooker, again?"

"I thought it would be fun. You know, entice people to come inside."

Kate stopped. "What?"

Castle winced as he realized his mistake.

"You brought me to your book signing as an advertisement? Like some kind of bimbo?" Kate seethed.

"No! I need your support," Castle backtracked.

"Forget it, Rick! I didn't come today to be eye candy for your scummy fans." She began to stalk away.

"Hey," Rick called after Kate.

Beckett turned, hearing his genuinely insulted tone.

"I wanted you to come to this because I thought it would be fun for the two of us. But if you don't want to sit with me and meet my 'scummy' fans - which did include you at one point, remember? - then you don't have to."

Kate felt a twinge inside of her when Castle referenced her as a fan in the past tense. A silent war was being fought inside of her as it always did in the rare moments she argued with Castle. She sighed, and walked up to him, her heels clacking noisily on the pavement.

"I will come inside, as your girlfriend. Ok? But that's it. I'm not going to stand by the entrance with my top down and a big sign that says 'Come buy Frozen Heat'."

Castle's face fell, "I would never ask you to do -"

"I know," Kate interrupted. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

* * *

Castle signed a copy of his novel: "_To Brenda, Happy reading! - Rick Castle_". He grinned as he handed it back to the giddy woman who clutched the book to her chest before bouncing away.

"Hi, who do I make it out to?" Castle asked the next person in line.

"Actually, I was hoping the lady could sign this one," a handsome man said charmingly.

Kate flicked her eyes at Castle before smiling. "Why not? What's your name?"

"Kyle. 212-638-0192. Keep the book," he grinned before walking away.

Castle turned to Kate, open-mouthed. "He can't do that!"

"Do what, give me his number?" Kate smirked.

"Get you to sign my book and not even keep it!"

"I don't know, I think he just did."

Castle was about to respond when the next customer approached.

"For Brendan, please," the dark-skinned man handed Castle the book without breaking Kate's eye contact. He reached forward, "May I?"

Kate reached out the hand Brendan was clearly referring to.

The man reached down and kissed it, lingering until Castle shoved the signed copy of his book in between them.

"There you go Brendan, happy reading, next," Castle hurried the line along.

"You are truly beautiful," Brendan said to Kate, refusing to leave.

"Next," Castle insisted. "Security?"

A big man in a reflective yellow jacket moved forward and assisted Brendan out of the bookstore.

"Security?" Kate scoffed, "Was that really necessary?"

Castle tuned her out, his blood boiling as he struggled to keep his jealousy under control. "Aw, come on!" Castle groaned as a third attractive man approached the table.

"You are Nikki Heat?" he asked with a sexy European accent.

"Yes," Kate said flirtatiously, happy to be getting under Castle's skin after the earlier incident.

"Really?" Castle muttered irritatedly at their ridiculous banter before butting into the conversation, "Excuse me, do you have a book for me to sign?"

"No, I forgot it at home. Au revoir, ma chérie," the man leaned in to kiss her cheek before Castle broke in and pushed him away. Rick remained standing, his look menacing as he watched the Frenchman leave the store.

"Come on, Castle," Beckett teased. "Look how many fans we're attracting."

The line continued to move forward.

"Hi, there," Castle ignored her and spoke to the aged man holding out his copy of Rick's book.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but are you busy Friday night?" the seventy-year old man asked shakily.

"Yes," Castle answered for her. Shoving the signed book back into the man's hand, he stood up and tugged Kate out of her seat.

"Sorry everybody, we're just going to take a five-minute break," Castle announced to the disgruntled crowd.

"What?" Kate asked as Castle led her to the back of the store.

"I need you to go, now."

"Why? This is actually pretty fun," Kate grinned.

Castle closed his eyes and breathed in, calming himself. "I can't do it. I can't sign books with men panting all over you. Please, take the car and go back to my place. I'll meet you there in an hour."

"If you're sure you want me to go, I'll leave," Kate said innocently.

"Thank you," Castle said, turning to return to the table.

"And Castle?" Kate called.

He turned to meet her smug grin.

"I think I've changed my mind about being eye-candy for your book signings. In fact," she paused in thought, "I think I'd like to come to all of them from now on."

"No, Kate, I -" Castle called out; but she had already made her exit.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the delay! It's the season. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave your thoughts. _

_Chapter 10 Preview: It's been a year since Castle and Beckett have started dating, do I smell a celebration?_

_Also, I wrote a short one-shot about Castle + Beckett about 50 years from now. If you're interested in reading it, here's the link:_

fanfiction dot net slash s/8815418/1/The-Last-Dance

_Warning: it's a tear-jerker!_


	10. 365 Days Later

Chapter 10. 365 Days Later

Kate let her eyes slip open, letting a slit of light shine through her lids and pierce her retinas. A faint smile danced on her lips as she noted the date. Stretching out, she yawned, her nose crinkling and eyes scrunching shut. Rolling over, she met Castle's gaze. Kate instantly shrank back in embarrassment.

"What did I tell you about watching me while I sleep?" Kate asked, her voice husky with sleep.

"That it's creepy," Castle murmured in response.

"Mmhmm," Kate leaned in for a kiss.

Castle turned on his puppy dog eyes, "Tell me this doesn't scream psychopath."

Kate breathed out of her nose in a silent laugh. She cocked her head and looked at him diagonally, her hair gathering in a small pile on the white pillow case still warm from sleep. "A whole year," she blinked slowly, taking Castle's breath away.

"Is it weird that I'm still waiting to wake up?" Castle asked, playing with a strand of Kate's hair in his fingers.

"No," Kate smiled to herself, "I know how you feel."

Castle's heart thumped hard in his chest. Was it too soon to conclude that the woman in his bed was his soul mate? That the feeling fluttering in the base of his stomach was that elusive true love only spoken of in Hollywood movies? Castle took in her hazel eyes; flecked with green and, when the light was just right, tiny slivers of gold.

"Castle?" Kate asked, the serious tone catching his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me something that you've never told anyone else," Kate said softly, brushing her fingers with his.

Castle laid his head back down on the pillow. He sighed, trying to come up with something that would satisfy her hunger for knowledge, but not ruin the beautiful moment of complete serenity.

"When I was a kid," Castle hesitated, unsure of whether or not to share his most personal story with anyone other than himself.

Kate used that silence Nikki Heat favoured in interrogations to sucker him into continuing.

"I was nine years old, and it was father's day. I was in the fourth grade, Mrs. Johnson's class." Castle sighed, needing that moment to gather his thoughts. "Everyone was making letters to their dads. I did, too."

Kate watched him in an unobtrusive, relaxed way that got him through the next part of the memory.

Castle shook his head, "I was horrible. I wrote the cruelest things I could think of because I was so... angry. I was angry that he left my mom and me to fend for ourselves. I was angry, that he wasn't there to see me in my spring play and I was," a tear slipped from his eyes, "Angry that he didn't love me enough to watch me grow up." Castle wiped away any tears with a dismissive flick, as if they were never there at all.

"Rick," Kate started, "I'm so sorry."

"I say that it doesn't bother me, but not having a dad defined me. It made me the kind of father I am, the kind of man I am." Castle smiled, "When Alexis was little, she would ask me where her grandpa was, and I used to tell her all kinds of stories. Eventually, I started believing them myself. I still do."

Kate was silent for a moment, deciding what to say. "Well your dad missed out," she reached out, cupping Castle's face in her hand, "He never got to know you."

Castle smiled, his jaw pressing on the palm of Kate's hand and she pulled away.

"Thank you," Kate whispered.

"For what?"

Kate looked him square in the eyes, her look soft and full of compassion. "For telling me."

Castle felt a weight he hadn't even known he had been carrying lift off of his shoulders. She knew, and the world didn't end. His secret was spilled; but it didn't push her away, or make him look weak. He was still Rick, she was still Kate.

Castle grinned, wanting to shout it to the world. He pushed himself closer to Kate, kissing her hard with a heart full of passion. Because on their one-year anniversary, she had given him a gift that no-one else could give.

"I love you," he smiled. His eyes crinkled in the corners as his joy couldn't be contained.

His feelings were contagious, and Kate grinned just as brightly. She traced absentminded images on Castle's hand before decisively flicking her eyes up to his. "I love you, too."

Castle felt his happiness shoot up higher than he imagined possible. Those three words, spoken in the same bedroom where they found themselves for the first time one year ago, brought him closer to that ninth cloud than ever before. Pressing his lips gently against hers, he felt something inside of him click open. He was free.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for reading.  
Feel free to leave a review if you'd like. If not, please enjoy the rest of the story._

_Chapter 11 Preview - Castle and Kate go on a road trip. Castle wants a sing-a-long type car ride. Beckett, does not. Here we go._


	11. Sing Along Road Trip

11. Sing Along Road Trip

"Ok, I've got three bags of snacks, and a cooler for drinks. You want me to throw a few beers in there?" Castle asked, trying to stuff a bag of potato chips into an already overflowing plastic case.

"Um, no," Kate said, "That's illegal."

Castle turned at her lacklustre tone. "Why such a Debbie Downer?"

Kate looked up, exasperation written all over her face. "Why are we driving all the way to Florida again? Couldn't we have flown?"

Castle walked over to Kate, "Hey," he pulled her into his arms, "It's gonna be fun!"

Kate sighed, "I have to do paperwork. In the car. Do you have any idea how hard it is to work without a proper desk?"

"Ah," Castle looked up, "I spent many a day trying to write novels in the back of a pickup truck when my friends decided that we should do a Sin City weekend in Las Vegas." Castle laughed to himself, and sighed. "That was a good time."

Kate raised an eyebrow, "Not the same thing."

Castle shrugged, "It's kind of the same."

Kate glanced at the clock, "It's almost nine-thirty. If you want to get to the hotel before midnight, then we'd better leave."

"Lake City, here we come!" Castle squealed.

* * *

_Four Hours Later_

"Come on, sing it with me!" Castle shouted. "For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow. For he's a jolly good fellllooooooowww..." Castle held the note, gesturing for Kate to finish the line.

Kate sighed from under her sunglasses, her lap covered in fluttering paperwork. "Which nobody can deny," she said in a monotone.

"That was a lack of enthusiasm if I ever saw one," Castle said cheerfully.

"Can you close the window, please?" Kate asked, her hands splayed out to hold down the sheets of paper violently trying to fly out of the window. Her hair blew in all directions, sticking in her mouth and tangling in her glasses.

"Don't you want the warm breeze on you face?" Castle shouted over the wind.

Suddenly, a paper flew loose from Kate's grasp, slapping past Castle's and whipping out of the window.

"Damn it!" Kate shouted, her words sounding loud as Castle quickly rolled up the window, pulling over to the shoulder of the highway.

"I'm so sorry," Castle said, wincing for an onslaught of angry words.

"It's fine, I'll go get it," Kate grumbled, she cleared her lap of papers and started to undo the restrictive seatbelt crushing her against the seat.

Castle put his arm across her chest, stopping her from getting out. "Let me."

Kate relaxed back against the seat, giving up. She tried to rearrange her workspace to make it a little less claustrophobic. Her stomach was threatening to become nauseous from the combined sudden lapse in the motion of the car and her intense concentration on the case file.

She flicked her eyes towards the rearview mirror, and caught a glimpse of Castle standing at the edge of the highway in what looked suspiciously similar to the beginning of a game of Frogger.

Kate pushed the remainder of the papers off of her lap and forced the seatbelt open. She leapt out of the car and rushed over to where Castle was standing. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted over the traffic.

Castle pointed at the fluttering document stuck on a tree branch on the other side of the road.

"Castle, it's fine! I can have Ryan email me another copy at the hotel," Kate yelled, unsure if Castle could hear her as a truck roared by in the middle of her sentence.

Suddenly, Castle broke into a run. He skirted across the highway, almost getting clipped by a car going the opposite direction.

"Castle!" Kate shouted, running her fingers through her hair anxiously.

A car horn honked and a driver yelled angrily as Castle continued his way across the highway. Tires squealed as they tried to slow for the crazy pedestrian crossing the road.

A few heart racing moments later, Castle had made it to the other side. He stood, holding up the paper in a victory punch.

"Just wait there," Kate yelled, "I'll bring the car around."

But Castle was already on his way back, racing across the first two lanes to stand on the median dividing the road. Cars honked and slowed as Castle prepared to make the final leg of his journey. Leaping off of the concrete divider, Castle sprinted towards the shoulder. A red car swerved to avoid hitting him, the driver leaning heavily on his horn.

"Woo!" Castle grinned, jogging over to where Kate was standing. "Here you go," he handed her the crumpled up paper.

"God, Castle. What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"But I didn't," Castle grinned.

Kate frowned, unfolding the crumpled sheet of paper. She suddenly burst out laughing.

"What?"

Kate showed him the sheet, and Castle threw his head back in exasperation.

'Common Sense: A skill learned, not inherited. Classes every Thursday at 7pm'

"Really?" Castle groaned.

Kate laughed, patting Castle's arm comfortingly. "It's ok, Castle. You risked your life for a common sense flyer." The irony of the situation kept her giggling, and Castle soon joined in.

"I'm sorry," Kate said once she caught her breath.

"For what?"

"For being such a kill joy. I mean look at this," Kate gestured to the particularly beautiful view the highway was resting beside.

Castle walked to stand beside Kate and looked at the valley below. He wrapped his arm around her as she leaned into him.

Suddenly, Kate broke away.

"Where are you going?" Castle asked.

She didn't respond, but instead reached into the car and emerged with an armful of papers. Leaning over the edge of the fence, she let them go; watching as they fluttered down the side of the mountain.

Kate turned around, "It's just you and me now," she wrapped her arms around Castle's neck.

"Sing along road trip part two?" Castle asked hopefully.

Kate grinned, tucking her head into his neck then looking back up at Castle. "Sing along road trip, part two."

Castle grasped Kate's hand, swinging it gently as they made their way back to the car.

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves."

"God, Castle. Sing that song and see what happens.

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goeeeeees..."

The roaring highway blocked out most sounds along the stretch of land beside it, but a high pitched shriek made its way through the air unchallenged.

"Jeez, Kate. Sing along road trip, remember?"

* * *

_A/N: Chapter 12 Preview - When Castle finds out Kate doesn't know how to roller skate, he offers to give her a lesson. Hilarity ensues! - Inspired by CastleAlexanderBeckett's idea of a character learning to ice skate, but the summer version. _

_Feel free to leave your thoughts. If not, happy reading!_


	12. Roller Skating

12. Roller Skating

"Are you seriously telling me that you don't know how to roller skate?" Castle asked, scoffing in disbelief.

"So no one ever taught me, what's the big deal?" Kate flipped through a magazine that had been gathering dust on Castle's coffee table since Alexis' visit last week.

"The big deal," Castle sidled over to where Kate was sitting, "Is that it's a lot of fun, and you're missing out. Like a lot."

Kate turned her head, her eyes narrowed in suspicion to meet Castle's 'know-it-all' gaze. "Is this like the fall-down-and-hurt-yourself version of the golf swing?"

"No," Castle scrunched up his eyes, emphatically revolting against the idea.

Guilty.

Kate slapped the magazine down on the table where it clattered against a small stack of poker chips, "Fine. But I don't have any skates."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" Castle stood and hurried out of the living room.

"Where are you going?" Kate asked. "Do you have a hidden shoe store in your closet that I don't know about?" she picked at a hang nail. "Oh, wait. I've seen the inside of your closet. No shoe store."

Castle emerged a moment later, "I'm never going to stop paying for hiding you in my closet am I?"

"Nope."

"Well maybe this will brighten your day," Castle swung a pair of brand new outdoor roller skates out from behind his back.

"You already bought skates?" Kate asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, I did. These are top of the line roller skates, but they're also good for beginners," Castle displayed the shoes, waving with one hand.

"Alright, Castle. You win. Teach me how to use those shoes without breaking an ankle, and I'll pay you double."

Castle grinned mischievously, "Ooh."

* * *

An hour later, Castle held onto a wobbly Kate as she stood for the first time on her new roller skates.

"That's it, just feel the ground beneath your feet."

"What the hell does that even - " she stopped as she stumbled, relieved to find Castle catching her. "Mean?"

"Ok, look, Kate," Castle skated around to stand in front of her, "You've got to relax. If you fall, it's ok. It means you're learning."

"Yeah, well, I don't really want to learn," Kate huffed, her knees bending outwards and threatening to collapse.

Castle let go of her hand, ignoring her noisy objections and began skating figure-eights on the sidewalk ahead, lazily skating back and forth. His eyes remained on Kate's cautious, shaky form as she stretched out her arms to keep her balance, and stepped away from the bench she had been clutching.

"There you go!" Castle called encouragingly. "Now make your way over to me."

Kate lurched forwards, then froze to reorientate herself. Feeling steady once again, she pushed her leg out, and abruptly slipped, falling hard on her backside.

Castle was next to her in an instant, "You ok?" he asked, gently pulling her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kate said, starting to brush herself off.

"See," Castle said. "Learning."

Kate shoved him, and he lost his balance. His limbs flew out erratically as his skates rapidly shot backwards as he desperately tried to remain upright. Losing the battle, he hit the pavement with a heavy thump.

"God, Castle," Kate pulled him up, "Sorry."

"It's ok," Castle said, leaning over to catch his breath. "But since you proved to be such a pain in the ass, you owe me a take-two with those skates."

Kate sighed in exasperation, pulling her hair back in a ponytail to keep the strands out of her eyes. Tensing the muscles in her arms and legs, she furrowed her brow in concentration. _One foot in front of the other_, she thought.

Castle watched as Kate bit her lip and pushed away from the bench. He grinned as she held herself upright, and began to skate forwards unaided.

"You're doing it!" he shouted.

Kate turned her head, a smile lighting up her face, "I know!"

Castle skated forwards, following her closely in case she should stumble.

Central Park shone behind them, the vibrantly green trees gently swaying in the wind and the sound of playing children finding its way to the ears of the couple just starting out in the world.

Kate laughed at something Castle said, and he responded by tugging on Kate's loose ponytail. She reached behind her and jabbed him with her finger.

"Don't poke me," Castle grinned.

Kate spun around on her skates and pulled Castle's shirt, drawing him in, "I thought you liked to be poked."

"I thought you liked me pulling your hair," Castle smirked.

"Are we gonna just stand here, or are we going to skate somewhere?" Kate asked, fixated on adjusting Castle's flipped up collar.

"Mm," Castle hummed, "You think you're a pro skater now, huh?"

"I did make it off the bench."

"Ok, then let's have a race," Castle said, getting excited.

"Uh uh, no way," Kate objected.

"Why not?" Castle whined.

"Because I don't want to break my foot and be chained to my desk for the next three months. Unless, of course, you'd like to stay and do paperwork with me?"

"Detective," Castle started, "You can chain me to your desk anytime."

"Oh, you're funny," Kate teased.

"You think so?"

Kate thought for a moment, "Then again, maybe not."

"You're a jerk. You know that?"

"Come on, Castle. Let's keep going," Kate started skating ahead. "But for the record, I would probably win that race."

Castle scoffed, "Impossible. You'd be racing the master."

"The master, huh? That's not what I heard from Martha. She said that Cooper -"

"Don't. We're not talking about the dog incident."

"Right, we'll just hear about it from Ryan for the next twenty years."

"Ryan won't speak of it if he knows what's good for him."

"Since when does Ryan know what's good for him?"

"Shhh, just keep skating."

* * *

_A/N: A few things. First, sorry for being slow with this update! In the past week I've moved from Canada to Italy, and just got the Internet working this morning. So between packing and unpacking and flights and bus rides etc. etc. I've found it difficult to write. But I'm all settled now and things should be back to normal! _

_Second, and this is important. Since I'm 9 hours ahead (give or take depending on where you guys live), my updates will be at crazy times in the night/early morning if you're residing in the US or Canada. So if you don't want to hunt for my story way down the list in the evening or whenever you get on FanFiction, I suggest you sign up for the email alerts so that you have an easy link to press and it'll take you right to the updated chapter. However, if you're ok with trying to find it in a long list of other stories that were updated after mine throughout the day, all the best to you!_

_Third, I'm no longer giving next chapter previews. In an effort to make the story more cohesive, I've now hidden hints for future chapters in each updated chapter. Sometimes they will be more obvious, sometimes they'll be a little more obscure. This chapter has two hints, one of which will be next update's story. _

_I hope you are all doing well and just so you're in the loop, (also because it'll be hard to find now with the time change issue above mentioned) I'm three chapters in to a longfic called 'Illusion'. So if you like more dramatic stories, you might be interested in checking it out:_

_fanfiction dot net slash s/8883070/1/Illusion_

_And that is all! So, the crazy long author's note is now finished. I will update shortly as you've all been very patient waiting for this chapter. I look forward to any comments you might have._

_Until next time!_


	13. Strip Poker

13. Strip Poker

Lanie and Esposito walked through the door to be greeted loudly by their coworkers. The night was young, and Castle had claimed the evening as his monthly poker tournament.

"Thought you weren't gonna show," Ryan grinned. "What, were you too busy doing," he raised his eyebrows comically, "Other things?"

Esposito reached forward to smack his partner's head while Lanie rolled her eyes at Kate.

"Ok, boys. That's enough," Kate demanded.

"He started it," Ryan winced, rubbing the back of his skull.

"Sorry, mom." Esposito sighed as he fell into his chair around the green felt table.

"What's the ante?" Lanie asked.

"Oh, so you didn't get the memo," Castle grinned mischievously. "Tonight's a bit different than our normal poker game…"

"Oh, no, Kate. You didn't agree to this did you?" Lanie asked.

Kate shrugged, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"I'm game," Esposito grinned eagerly. "Been working out all week."

"I'm sorry, what are we doing?" Jenny asked.

"Strip poker," Castle said, beginning to shuffle the cards.

"Oh," Jenny blushed slightly, subconsciously stroking her stomach. "Ryan, you didn't tell me," she murmured.

"It's fine," Ryan whispered back. "Guys, we have an announcement." Ryan waited until he had his friends' attention. "Jenny and I are going to have a baby."

"Wow, that's fantastic!"

"Congratulations."

"Good for you."

"Bro, when did you find out?" Esposito asked.

"A few weeks ago. But we didn't want to tell anyone until we were sure," Ryan almost glowed with happiness as he clutched his wife's hand.

"Well, congratulations," Javi shook his partner's hand over the table.

"Not to interrupt the festivities, but shall we begin?" Castle asked, throwing cards to his friends in quick succession.

Kate settled in her chair, eager for the game to begin. Truth be told, she hadn't played strip poker in years. She had never been a fan of watching her friends drink too much and end up sprawled out half-naked over the table with their tongues halfway down some guys' throats.

But tonight, Kate couldn't stop eyeing Castle and picturing the muscled figure hidden underneath the cool blue silk shirt he had thrown on that morning.

"Let's start with something simple, worst hand out of the group takes off their shoes. If you want to fold, you have to take a tequila shot," Castle instructed. "Jenny," Castle paused, staring at his kitchen and running a silent inventory. "If you want to fold then you've got to take a shot of… Ooh, I think my mother bought a jug of prune juice." Castle stood up and rummaged through his cupboard. Emerging with a giant glass jar full of an unappetizing purple sludge, Castle grinned as he brought it to the table.

"Come on, Castle," Ryan protested.

Castle gave Ryan a look, before relenting. He sighed, "Prune juice optional."

Kate peered at the hand she had been dealt, and tried to hide the grin struggling to break through her poker face. A pair of cowboys sat, nestled in the palms of her hands. She put her cards down nonchalantly, and hoped Castle was going to challenge her on this one.

Castle flicked his eyes over to Kate as he glanced at his cards. A two and a three off-suit wasn't the best hand in the world, but he could see the look in Kate Beckett's eye, and he wasn't about to throw his cards away for an expensive tequila shot when he could go all the way.

Kate watched as Lanie threw her cards in, lifting her tequila shot in a silent toast and downing it with a wince. Ryan and Jenny followed suit, until only Castle and Esposito remained with her.

The flop was drawn, and Castle damned his luck when a nine, Queen and three were drawn. His chances at a straight had been demolished, but he at least had a pair - of threes. Again, Castle looked over at Kate and hunted for her tell. She wasn't tucking her hair behind her ear, which meant there was a good chance that she wasn't bluffing when she refused the tequila shot for a second time. Esposito also decided to play on, and the game continued.

Kate ran her tongue along her lips when Castle dealt a second three as the turn card. She could see the dealer's knee begin to bounce ever so slightly off of the hardwood floor, and Kate realized that her pair of Kings might not be enough to beat whatever was in Castle's hand. Kate watched as Esposito studied his cards, and then downed his shot of tequila. She smiled to herself as Esposito stood up from the table and sauntered his way over to where Lanie was waiting in the kitchen.

"I guess it's just you and me," Castle grinned, "Are you ready?"

"Just deal the damn card, Rick," Kate grinned, feeling warmth spread through her body as she anticipated what the next few rounds would bring.

A two tied the knot for Castle. He couldn't help but smile at his turnaround. Knowing she wouldn't back out now, Castle turned to Kate and raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure you want to stay in on this one?"

Kate could hear him getting cocky, and she realized that she had been beaten. Although throwing him off with a fold would have been fun, Kate decided to go down with her ship. "I'm sure," she remarked innocently.

Castle lay down his cards as gently as he could, resisting the urge to slam them down and loudly announce that he had won the hand. He watched as Kate's face turned to dismay, and then she, too, put down her cards.

"Ooh," Castle said. "An impressive start, but that's just not good enough. Shoes."

Kate slid off her shoes, and met Castle's eyes as he watched her do something so totally non-provocative with such hunger.

"Take a picture," she teased seductively. "It lasts longer."

* * *

Hours passed, and Ryan and Jenny had gone home. Lanie was sitting in jeans and a bra, while Esposito had been reduced to heavily intoxicated and shivering in his boxers.

Castle looked over at Kate and was pleased to see her agile body clothed in nothing but her bra and underpants. Castle himself was in a similar position to Esposito, but Rick wasn't shivering.

"Alright," Lanie announced, "I'm taking you home." She threw Esposito his clothes and instructed him to put them on.

"Nah, Lanie. I'm ok to drive," Esposito insisted.

"Over my dead body."

Kate tuned her coworkers out as she stared at Castle's toned chest. She had probably drunk more than enough in tequila shots, but she had nowhere to be in the morning, and her bed was only twenty steps away.

"Kate," Castle broke through her thoughts a moment later. "They're gone."

Their mouths crashed together with such force and passion that the poker table beneath them almost cracked under the sudden pressure. Kate let her hands explore Castle's body with complete freedom and she flashbacked to those nights of college strip poker. After Castle swept her feet out from under her, Kate decided she was changing her opinion on the game.

Castle inhaled and felt a tingle zip through his body when the smell of her hit his nostrils. So sweet, and yet still foreign and forbidden. Somehow, the beautiful and strong Detective of his dreams was right there in front of him. Castle wondered if, fifty years from now, he would still be amazed when he woke up in the morning and found that wonderful, but seemingly unobtainable woman lying next to him.

"There's a poker chip sticking in my back," Kate murmured between kisses.

"We'd better take care of that," Castle said. He swooped Kate up into a fireman's carry, walking her to the bedroom until she protested.

"I'm not a damsel in distress."

Castle set her down with a soft apology.

Kate watched as Rick continued into the bedroom, his mood not broken. She hated feeling that wall that prevented her from giving one ounce of her independence away. Watching Castle's broad shoulders and cute ass make their way into his room, she called after him.

"Castle."

He turned to see her standing, with her legs crossed in front of each other and a nervous finger caught between her teeth.

"Do that again."

Castle walked over, an unsure grin creasing his lips. He reached under Kate, and picked her up.

Kate leaned in for a kiss; and for the first time in her life, allowed herself to be carried away.

The bedroom door closed with a soft click and the poker table was left in the moonlit living room, its purpose having been served.

* * *

_A/N: You guys are my favourite readers, you write such hilarious reviews. _

_Special thanks to those who leave a comment after every chapter (You know who you are!)_

_Congrats to those who figured out what this chapter was going to be based on from the hint in chapter 12. This one's a little tougher..._

_Your thoughts are always appreciated!_

_P.S. As for the previous chapter, I remembered that Kate knows how to ice skate, but I drew on personal experience because I can ice skate quite well but am unable to roller skate! (Weird, I know) However, I did have Kate pick it up pretty quickly, as she does have that similar skill of ice skating. Thanks to those who brought it out, though. You always keep me on my toes! That helps a lot for me as a writer._

_P.P.S. To those who asked, I'm only staying in Italy for 3 months as I don't have my European citizenship yet. However, I decided to come for the experience and because I wanted to do some travelling! Last weekend I was in Barcelona, and next Friday I'll be off to Athens. Also, I love Italy :)_


	14. Kate's Photo Album

14. Kate's Photo Album

Castle lay, completely comfortable under Kate's bed sheets. He pulled a pillow from behind him to prop himself up. Wriggling to once again become comfortable, Castle sighed in exasperation.

"What's wrong?" Kate called from the other room.

"I was comfortable, then I moved and now my back's in the wrong spot and my toe is itchy and being in bed just wasn't the same as it was four seconds ago," Castle complained.

"You sound like an old man," Kate said, emerging from the living room wearing one of Rick's long shirts. A photo album was pressed up against her chest. "You're going to help with paperwork for the rest of this week, and clothe Nikki Heat on the next book cover?"

"The last part's only a maybe," Castle grinned.

Kate reached forwards to slap his legs with the photo album.

"Hey, I'm entitled to creative license," Castle said, drawing Kate in.

"Not if you're dead," Kate whispered.

"Mm," Castle said, "I like it when you play bad cop."

Kate leaned in to the kiss, forgetting about the long day of work in front of her for a moment. Then, reality sunk in and she pulled away. "Seriously, if you want to look at these, we've got to do it now."

"Ok, but this," Rick pointed, "Is to be continued."

"Deal," Kate slithered into bed next to him.

Castle opened the first page of the photo album to be greeted with a smiling baby picture of Kate Beckett, mashed carrots covering her chubby little cheeks. "Oh, my God. You're adorable!"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Kate asked.

"Well, Alexis was a skinny baby. Cutest skinny baby ever, I might add. But I've always had a thing for the chunkers," Castle grinned at the picture.

"Call me a chunker again, and see what happens."

Castle flipped the page, and saw another picture of little Kate. This time, she was maybe five or six years old. She stood with her mom, a pink lunchbox in her hands and a rainbow backpack strapped on her shoulders. Two perfect braids framed a toothy grin.

"My first day of kindergarten," Kate smiled.

"I bet you had all the boys chasing you around the playground," Castle remarked.

"Still do," Kate smirked.

"Hey," Castle raised an eyebrow.

Kate reached over him and flipped to the next page of the album. A giant school photo of Kate smiled up at Castle, braces and all.

"You don't have to see the next few," Kate said, attempting to bypass the brace-face phase of her life.

"Get out of here," Castle brushed her away. "I like you with braces. They suited you," he smiled.

"Right," Kate raised an eyebrow, "Like acne suits teenage boys."

"No, really. I like the colors you chose," Castle said.

"I didn't choose them, my mom did. I was so mad about having to get them done I refused to pick colors."

"Well, at least be happy she didn't pick a fluorescent pink."

"Yeah, because green and yellow are so great."

Castle absentmindedly turned the page once more. This photo featured Kate Beckett on a small brown horse. She had on a pink helmet, and was holding on to her dad with one hand.

"I went horseback riding every day that summer. It was my dad's birthday gift to me. The horse's name was Chester. He was so slow," Kate started to laugh. "One time, I was riding and he walked right into a cluster of bushes. It took an hour for my dad and the employee at the ranch to coax him out."

Castle laughed at the story. Turning the next page, Castle was eager to see more of Kate's formerly mysterious childhood.

The next photo featured Kate and her mom building a snowman. The snowman only had one arm and a drooping carrot nose. Kate was grinning, a snow moustache stuck to her mouth.

"This was in Central Park one winter when it snowed for three days straight. My mom called an impromptu snow day, and we spent the afternoon playing outside. My dad took that picture," Kate smiled. "It was a special day."

"I'll bet," Castle grinned.

The next page was turned, and Castle was delighted to see Kate in a blueberry costume, standing proudly in the center of a small stage.

"What's this?" Castle asked.

"Oh," Kate laughed. "That was a school play I was in in the sixth grade. I was the blueberry, obviously."

"What was the play about?" Castle asked.

"You know, I don't remember. It was such a long time ago. All I know is my line had something to do with being healthy and nutritious," Kate said. "My grandparents came to the play and we went out for ice cream afterwards. I think there's another picture here somewhere…" Kate flipped the page, "Here."

"Is that your grandpa?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," Kate smiled. "I love this picture," she murmured.

The photo showed Kate and a weathered old man tasting each other's ice cream. Kate's nose was covered in vanilla ice cream, and her pink tongue was reaching out to taste her grandfather's chocolate in an old-style ice cream parlor.

"There are only a couple more," Kate said.

"Why is there only one per page?" Castle asked.

"My mom made the album. She always said that with one picture a page, you could pause and tell a story. When there's more than one picture, there's too much going on at once."

"She was a smart woman," Castle said.

"Yeah," Kate whispered.

The next picture showed Kate at fourteen or fifteen, eagerly sitting in the driver's seat of an old, beat up car.

"When I got my driver's license," Kate commented.

"So you've always been a bossy driver?" Castle asked.

"Mm-hmm," Kate agreed, "I remember insisting to my dad that I knew how to drive, and he didn't need to provide a running commentary. Then I hit the curb and ended up driving onto the sidewalk."

Castle laughed. "I think I did something similar, but I destroyed my first car."

"And finally," Kate turned to the last page. "Ta-da."

The final picture was a beautiful photo of Kate sandwiched between her mom and dad, wearing a cap and gown at her high school graduation.

"Wow," Castle said.

"What?"

"You look so happy," Castle remarked.

"It was a good day," Kate said simply.

They were silent for a moment and Castle felt disappointment settle in his stomach, knowing the magic of that morning was about to be over.

"I wish I knew you, back then," Castle said. "I wish I had always known you. I feel like I didn't get to see so much of who you are."

"Well we have lots of time for me to tell you all about it," Kate smiled.

"I know," Castle paused, still staring at the photo of Kate's graduation. "But it's not the same."

Kate reached over and kissed Castle, refusing to pull away until her lungs demanded air.

Castle opened his eyes slowly, "What was that for?"

"What you said," Kate rubbed the palm of his hand. "That you wished you'd always known me." Kate met his eyes. "Thank you."

"Always."

* * *

_A/N: Yes, I had to throw the 'A' word in at the end. It seemed to fit :) _

_Now, I was thinking of doing the next chapter as Castle's Photo Album... but it's up to you guys. If you liked this chapter and would like to see something similar but Castle's side, let me know. If not, I'll continue on with a different story for the next chapter._

_I hope you enjoyed this one! It felt really good when I was writing it, and I hope you also appreciated it._

_As always, I love reading your reviews._

_If you're not up for it today, happy reading! _


	15. Castle's Photo Album

Chapter 15. Castle's Photo Album

Castle came in through the front door of his apartment, lugging an enormous box into the living room.

"Those are your pictures?" Kate asked from the couch, wielding a pair of scissors.

"They've been in storage for years, I didn't even think I still had them," Castle huffed as he set down the heavy box.

"Alright," Kate pushed the stray pieces of plastic aside. Four brand new photo albums sat on the coffee table, waiting to be filled.

Cracking open the box, Castle began to pull out piles of loose photographs. Thumping them down on the table, Castle worked until seven thick stacks of pictures were spread out in front of him.

Kate reached out to take a pile, when Castle put his hand on her arm.

"Kate," Castle stopped her. "You know… I haven't gone through these."

"Come on. What's the worst I could find?" Kate asked, one eyebrow cocked.

Castle backed off, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"How are we going to organize these?" Kate asked, trying to clear some space on the table.

"Pile for 'yes', 'no', and 'maybe'?" Castle suggested.

"According to you or me?" Kate asked.

"You're in charge of your piles, I'm in charge of mine," he winked.

Kate peeled one photo off of the stack, the pictures sticking together with age. A very young Martha stood, holding a squirmy two year old by the hand. Rick was pouting, his blue eyes shining in defiance and his feet planted stubbornly.

"What's this?" Kate asked, flipping the photo so Castle could see it.

Castle frowned, "I don't know," he took the picture. Turning to the back, he made an "Ah" sound. There, in tilted handwriting someone had written: _Richard after using the ladies washroom, 1973._

"Huh," Kate hummed.

"What?"

"You'd think little Rick would want to be in the ladies washroom, considering how big Rick is now."

"Yeah," Castle sighed. "What I wouldn't give –"

Cut off by a smack, Castle grinned. Kate stared at him, a smile teasing her lips while she tried to give him her 'no-nonsense' look.

"Ooh, look at this one," Castle said, his eyes distracted by a photo lying strewn on the table.

"Oh my God," Kate took the photo out of his hands. "You still make this face."

Richard Castle was leaning back in a chair, his lips curved up into a knowing smile and one eyebrow raised.

"How old were you here?" Kate asked.

Castle turned the photo over and saw more handwriting.

_1983_

"About twelve," Castle mused. "I make this face?" he asked.

"All the time, it's creepy," Kate said, her mind already processing the next picture.

Castle shrugged. He tried it out, and then realized Kate was right as his facial muscles moved to the familiar position.

"This is cute," Kate said, holding out a picture of Castle holding a turtle and making a fish face.

"BJ!" Castle snatched the picture from Kate's hands. "I forgot about this turtle! I got him when I was nine. My best friend had a birthday party, and this is what they gave out as party favors."

"I bet the parents loved that."

"My mom said no, so I stuck him into my backpack and kept him under my bed," Castle winced, "He died."

"You killed the turtle?" Kate asked.

Castle instantly became defensive, "I was only nine! I didn't know they needed like, special turtle food. I just snuck food into my pockets at dinner and went to my room to feed him. Come to think of it… I don't know if I ever gave him water," Castle frowned.

Kate laughed, "Castle, that's awful!"

Castle looked at the picture again, a permanent wince stuck on his face, "I know."

"Oh, Castle," Kate took the picture from him. "It's ok, just put BJ back in the box."

Castle watched as Kate put the photo back into the shadows of the box, and felt better. "Sorry, BJ."

"What did you do when you found out he was dead?" Kate asked.

Castle frowned, "I think I tried to flush him down the toilet, and when that didn't work I put him in a garbage bag and buried him in a bush."

"You buried him in a bush?" Kate asked.

"It's New York, I couldn't find grass with enough dirt to give him a proper resting place. But, I gave him a eulogy."

"That's good," Kate laughed. She shook her head at the story, smiling to herself.

Castle pulled another picture from his stack, and then promptly tried to hide it.

Kate heard his movement and turned to see Castle's 'I'm innocent' guilty face. "What?"

"Nothing," Castle insisted.

Kate frowned. "Stand up."

"Actually I'm very comfortable."

"Up, Castle. Now."

He stood, a photo sticking to the sofa underneath him.

Kate picked it up, and instantly burst out laughing.

Castle snatched it away from her, stuffing it back into the box.

"Give it back," Kate demanded through her laughter.

"I'm not scared of you," Castle crossed his arms.

"You should be," Kate reached past him to take the photo out of the box.

Richard Castle, age 13 was grinning up at the camera; lipstick coating his lips, and mascara his eyelids. He had donned a wig on his head, giving him flowing blonde locks. A blue dress sat on his broad shoulders, highlighting his recently shaved legs.

"Oh my God," Kate breathed through her laughter. Tears welled up in her eyes and her sides hurt as she struggled to get air into her hiccupping lungs.

Castle took the photo away again, this time shoving into his pocket. "My mother needed me to stand in for an actress that was sick, and she insisted that I be in character. I thought it would be a good way to get girls," Castle frowned. "I wasn't aware that women aren't overly attracted to transvestites."

"Wow," Kate finally calmed down. "You really would do anything to catch a girl, wouldn't you?"

"Fortunately, I don't have to go through that anymore," Castle said, putting his hand on her knee.

Kate's heart skipped a beat at the contact. She didn't pull away.

"Hey," Kate knitted her eyebrows. She pulled a picture out from underneath one of the photo albums. "I used to go to this library every Saturday."

The picture was of Castle, nestled on a chair in the kids section of the library, his nose buried in a book.

"Me too! Well, obviously," Castle said.

Kate turned to him, "I wonder if we ever met."

"Ooh. Wait here," Castle said, rushing into his bedroom.

Kate sat back, staring at the photo.

"Here," Castle came out with a magnifying glass clutched in his hand.

Together they examined the picture, looking for any sign of Kate. Each child's face was clear, but none were of Kate Beckett.

Castle sat back, disappointed. "How cool would that have been?"

"Wait," Kate said, using her nail to dig in between the pictures. A second picture was glued to the back of the first, but with some work they came apart. "Give me the magnifying glass," Kate held out her hand.

She went over the picture carefully, "There!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Castle took the glass, and held it over a little girl's face. He was amazed to see Kate Beckett's features emerge, standing not ten feet away from himself. She was a lot younger than him, sitting on the floor with a picture book in her hands. Kate's mother was sitting next to her, reading with her daughter.

"Wow," Kate breathed. "That's incredible."

"Well we both grew up in New York, we were bound to run into each other at some point," Castle pointed out.

"Can I have this?" Kate asked.

"Of course," Castle said.

"Thank you," she said, carefully sliding the photo into her purse.

"Shall we continue?"

Two hours later, three of the albums were filled, and all of the photos were put away.

"Look at that, Castle. You are now the proud owner of a photo album. Three, actually," Kate stacked up the albums.

"Well," Castle said, "I was thinking we could make one more."

"We're all out of pictures," Kate said. "Unless you want to make an album with the rejects?"

"No, that's not what I was thinking," Castle grinned. "Be right back."

Kate watched Castle rummaging in his jacket pocket and wondered what on earth he was talking about. He yanked out a package, and came back to the couch.

"What's that?" Kate asked.

Castle opened the package, and out spilled five years of Castle and Kate.

Kate looked at all of the photos in awe, "You kept all of these?"

"See," Castle dug through the photos to find something in particular. Catching a glimpse of it, he pulled it out. "The first picture I took of us."

The picture depicted Castle standing in front of Beckett's old desk, making a ridiculous face while Detective Beckett rolled her eyes in the background. Her short haircut gave away the date.

"Is this the first case you worked with me on?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," Castle said. "It's one of my favorites."

"Wow," Kate rifled through the pictures. Some depicted Ryan and Esposito; even Captain Montgomery made a few appearances. But, in every photo, Castle and Beckett stood side by side.

"So, I designate this fourth album our album. We'll call it, _Caskett_."

"Again with that name," Kate murmured, subconsciously chewing her lip as she continued looking through the pictures.

"It suits us," he insisted.

"Yeah," Kate smiled. She rubbed her thumb on the back of Castle's hand.

"I guess it does."

* * *

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed Castle's Photo Album, brought to you by popular demand._

_As always, I thoroughly enjoy your reviews. They keep me humble, and make me laugh. For that, I am thankful._

_~ Syd_


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